Sweden Punch Second Round Ticket

Sweden booked their place in the second round of the U16 European Championships for Women on Friday with an impressive 63-50 victory over Slovakia in Cagliari.

Regan Magarity had a game-high 19 points as her side resisted every surge from the Slovaks to remain unbeaten in Group A of the competition.

The Swedes led for all but the opening three minutes, efficiently shooting their way in front and playing solid defence to hustle their rivals out of their rhythm.

After the Slovaks had cut the gap to 20-19 early in the second quarter, a flurry of six unanswered points sent Henrik Wikstrom's side clear before another fightback sliced their lead to 32-31 at half-time.

But Gabi Hanson ignited a decisive 7-0 run in the third period, and although Slovakia - led by 18 points and 13 rebounds from Zofia Hruscáková - threatened in the fourth, an 11-2 burst held them at bay.

"We had our ups and downs but they stayed focused," praised Wikstrom. "We're into the second round now and with our two performances so far, we really believe we can compete against the other teams."